


Weston College Demons

by British_Racing_Green



Series: Weston College AU stories [2]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Anime/Manga Fusion, Cricket, Gen, Manga & Anime, Mild Language, References to Canon, Schoolboys, Weston School Arc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-06 16:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19066636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/British_Racing_Green/pseuds/British_Racing_Green
Summary: A Weston College XI is playing a MCC side at cricket.Will Edward's dream be turned into a nightmare by the Phantomhives and Alois?





	1. Any ideas?

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own any rights to Black Butler or any other brand or organisation mentioned in this story.  
> This is set in the same universe as my 'Luka's First Day' story.  
> Cricket jargon will be explained in the End Notes of each chapter.

Today was the big day: the last Saturday of the school year at Weston College, a school well known for its longstanding traditions. The most notable of these traditions was, of course, the cricket tournament on 4th June each year. Now in late July that most English of games was the centre of attention at the school once again.

A very special cricket match was taking place at Lords’ cricket ground: Young Gentlemen of the MCC vs. Weston College Demons.

The MCC side was made up of talented armatures that, by the rules of the contest, were under the age of 21. Finding an eleven had been no problem.

As for the ‘Demons’, their selection process had given their captain an almighty headache.

_**Swan Gazebo – a week before** _

“Does anyone have any ideas who else can play next Saturday?” Edward Midford asked the seven pupils that were there with him as he continued rubbing his temples, fresh out of imagination.

“Well lets go over the list of who _is_ in shall we?” said Prince Soma as he picked up the aforementioned list.

“Batting at number three, Lord E.A. Midford, right-handed batsman, fast bowler.”

“Yes. Obviously _I’m_ playing! I’m the bloody captain.” The green house prefect replied.

“Batting at number four, Prince Soma A. Kadar, right-handed batsman, fast bowler…vice-captain.”

Soma grinned at Edward who urged him to get on with the rest of it.

“In at number five, M.S. Cole, right-handed batsman, fast-medium bowler.”

“Here.” Cole waved from the other side of the gazebo. The prefects had allowed him there now, but he still wasn’t permitted inside.

“Next.” Soma continued, “number six, R.V. Cheslock, right-handed batsman, fast bowler.”

“Those MCC batsmen won’t know what hit them when I get the ball in my hands!” Cheslock loudly declared to all and sundry.

“Now…number _eight,_ J.F. Harcourt, right-handed batsman, off-spin bowler.”

“Present.” Joanne waved looking as angelic as ever.

“Our number nine is little L.M. Trancy, left-handed batsman, slow left arm _wrist_ -spin bowler.” Soma strained at the unusual bowling style of the team’s youngest member.

“~Hello~.” Luka sang.

“Number ten, S.O. Clayton, right-handed batsman, medium bowler.” Soma continued.

“If I _must_ play.” Clayton sighed.

“And number eleven, N.B. McMillan, right-handed batsman, medium bowler.”

“Last but by no means least.” McMillan said as Soma returned the paper to the table in the middle of the gazebo.

“So you can see our problem gentlemen.” Edward said as he stood up. “We have no wicketkeeper to bat at, ideally, seven, and we have _no_ opening batsmen.”

“Why don’t you and Kadar open?” Cheslock asked the obvious question.

“Because we’re the two best batsmen in the team, and your best batsmen _always_ bat at three and four. We need two intelligent individuals to take the pace out of the ball and assess how the pitch is playing, then feed that information back to us. We need them to be able to attack and defend against a bunch of undergraduates bowling like lightning. They need to be calm, calculating and fearless.”

The rest of the team all looked at each other, nodded in agreement and spoke in unison.

“The Phantomhives.”

Edward froze in horror.

“Oh no. Please don’t make me try and get my cousins to play.” He begged, knowing what answer he’d get.

 _“Captain.”_ Soma hinted.

Edward gulped. He knew he had no choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) has been responsible for the laws of cricket since 1788 and in the Victorian Era (as it still does to a certain extent today) holds considerable influence over the game.
> 
> In the Victorian Era, Armatures were players from all backgrounds who weren’t paid for playing. They were also known as ‘Gentlemen’. Professionals (those who were paid) were known as ‘Players’. The Gentlemen vs. Players matches were some of the most high-profile games of the age.
> 
> In the manga we see that Edward, Soma and Cheslock all bowl ‘fast’. Fast bowlers can reach speeds of up to 85-95mph. Cole bowls ‘fast-medium’ because I don’t think he’s strong enough to reach the top speeds with his deliveries.
> 
> Joanne is seen bowling ‘Off-Spin’. The ball is spun with the fingers in a way that makes it change direction and into a right-handed batsman after pitching rather going straight on.  
> Luka is left-handed because he’s non-canon. His bowling action is ‘Left-arm unorthodox spin’. The ball goes across a right-handed batsman but pitches into them rather than away. The spin is also generated with the wrist and not the fingers.
> 
> Clayton and McMillan bowl ‘medium pace’ because it’s a default bowling style.
> 
> The batting order in cricket usually sees the most skilled batsmen go in at number three as the openers are a breed of their own. Edward is #3 because Green House boys are the best sportsmen. Soma at #4 because he’s also an exceptional player in Red House (the next best), while Cole is #5 because it’s a versatile batting position (it matches his personality and behaviour of being two-faced). Cheslock is at #6 because it’s more artistic and spectacular like Purple House (#6 batsmen play with more freedom and hit bigger shots).
> 
> Wicketkeepers usually bat at #7 and don’t bowl.
> 
> Players known more for their bowling tend to bat from #8 downwards. Joanne bats at #8 because of his Red House skill, while Luka bats at #9 because he’s not as skilled a batsman. Clayton and McMillan bat at #10 and #11 respectively because they’re in Blue House. Fast bowlers usually bat at #10 and #11, but that is not an option for this team. These two are down here because there’s nowhere else for them. Batting line-ups could be very unusual in the pre-Victorian and Victorian Eras.


	2. Two Conditions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Edward get the Phantomhive twins to play in the cricket match?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this story Our!Ciel is known as 'Earl Phantomhive' or 'Phantomhive Blue'. Real!Ciel is known as 'Ciel' or 'Phantomhive Red'.

Edward had eventually tracked his cousins, Ciel and the Earl of Phantomhive, to the snooker room. His request had met a predictable answer.

“Absolutely not.” Ciel stated emphatically in response to his elder cousin.

“Oh please you two.” Edward persisted. “It’s not as if you’ve never played the game before, and when you put your minds to something you’re almost unbeatable.”

“We’re _not_ interested Edward!” Ciel stressed slamming his snooker cue into the floor. “I have a blood disorder that kept me out of your precious tournament last month, and need I remind you of my brother’s delicate condition too?” he continued and pointed at Earl Phantomhive, his face buried in his copy of _The Sign of the Four_ , the second Sherlock Holmes novel. He never watched when he and his brother played snooker. He knew he’d win so what was the point in watching?

“But I’ve seen you play when we where little.” Edward carried on. “You weren’t terrible, and I saw Blue mastermind the second blue miracle last year. Please you two I’m _begging_ you.” Edward really was starting to sound desperate.

“No!” Ciel shouted and turned his back.

“I’m interested.” Earl Phantomhive said without looking up from his book.

“What?”

“Really?!”

Both Ciel and Edward were equally amazed.

“On two conditions.” The earl continued.

“Yes! Anything you’d like.” Edward smiled and sat next to the younger twin.

“First, I want my toy company’s name and logo embroidered on the front of the shirts.” Earl Phantomhive stated.

“Err, that’s not very tradit-“

“Second.” The earl carried on despite Edward’s comment. “I want the team to be named the ‘Demons’.

“The what? Why?” Edward was completely taken aback by the requests.

“I want us to stand out and generate publicity. Plus think of all the people who’ll be watching. If they all see my company’s logo I’ll have a greater footfall.”

“You hope.” Ciel commented under his breath.

Edward sighed heavily.

“You have no interest in playing at all do you?” he asked.

“Not in the slightest. I just want to promote Funtom.” The earl smiled.

“You still have to convince me.” Ciel insisted.

“A pound says I score more runs than you.” Earl Phantomhive said instantly.

“You’re on.” Came his elder twin brother’s immediate reply.

“Brilliant!” Edward shouted as he clasped his hands together. “You two are opening. Blue will take first strike. What do you two bowl again by the way?” he asked as he pulled the team sheet out of his pocket.

“Leg spin, right-handed like my batting.” The twins replied in unison.

Edward _did_ have a smile on his face, but said smile fell away pretty soon.

“Now I just need to find our wicketkeeper.”

“Leave that to us.” Earl Phantomhive grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Snooker was invented in 1875, 15 years before this story is set.
> 
> ‘The Sign of the Four’ was published in February 1890. This story is set in the July of that year.
> 
> The twins bowl leg-spin. The ball is spun in such a way that it spins away from a right-handed batsman.
> 
> Back in the Victorian Era branding a cricket team with a company’s logo and having a franchise-style name would be highly controversial within the game.


	3. "Jesus Wept."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Phantomhive twins have found Alois Trancy in the dining hall at dinner time. Blue has asked him to play, but...

“Sorry I’m busy that day. I’m teaching Harcourt how to masturbate.” Alois Trancy said dismissively as he loaded his fork up with way too many chips from his fish supper.

 _“Ugh!”_ Earl Phantomhive groaned and slammed his forehead into the long oak table causing the cutlery to rattle.

His twin failed to stifle his own giggle. This is why he got on so well with Alois. He knew how to torture his twin like no one else could.

“You _do_ realise that Harcourt is playing in this match?” the earl sighed.

“He is?!” Alois was surprised. “Oh bugger. That’s been in my diary for weeks. I’d planned it thoroughly too.” With that Alois removed a small black diary from his inside breast pocket.

“Give me that!” cried the earl and swiped the diary out of Alois’ hand and opened the upcoming week’s page. _“Jesus wept._ It actually _is_ in here.”

“Well I can always show him a brief demonstration in the changing room.” Alois thought out loud. “Poor chap. He genuinely has no idea how to work himself off.”

 _“Enough!”_ Earl Phantomhive cried and chucked the diary back at its owner’s face. “So getting back on topic,” the earl insisted, “Trancy. Will you be this team’s wicketkeeper? Yes or no?”

“I’ve never played this ‘cricket’ of which you speak in my life. Boxing and football on the other hand…”

“Alright what do you want?” Earl Phantomhive said with more than a hint of resignation in his voice.

“Well what do any of us _really_ want Blue?” Alois asked. “The love of a good woman. Food and drink on the table every night.”

An enraged earl lunged forward and grabbed Alois by his collar.

“ _Stop fucking around!_ ” he growled through gritted teeth, his good eye wild with anger and frustration.

Alois smiled and his own blue eyes took on a more sinister look too.

“Alright girls that’s enough.” Ciel said banging on the table. He then placed his right arm around Alois’ shoulders. “Trancy. Will you keep wicket for us next Saturday against the MCC side?”

“Absolutely Red. Anything for you my dear friend.”

The pair proceeded to produce a Cheshire Cat grin and closed their eyes.

Earl Phantomhive did his best to ignore the duo’s provocation. His twin and best frienemy could easily go from being his closest confidants to being top of his ‘to kill’ list and vice-versa in an instant.

He took his time and waited for the grinning to cease.

“Practice is after lunch tomorrow on the playing field.”

With that the earl rose from his seat and left the dining hall.

“Is keeping wicket difficult? Will I need gloves?” Alois asked.

Ciel sighed and stole a chip from Alois’ dinner plate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Fish Supper' is another name for Fish 'n' Chips.  
> 'Jesus Wept' [John 11:35] is the shortest verse in the King James Bible and is a mild expletive in some English-speaking countries (UK, Ireland, Australia).
> 
> I plan for this story to be six or seven chapters long, but there won't be updates for a while (I need to get a cricket obsession going again).


End file.
